MyMaine Birth

91. Pregnancy and Postpartum during a Pandemic: Faith's Maine Birth Story with care from Coastal Women's Health in Scarborough

• Angela Laferriere • Season 2 • Episode 91

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Welcome to Episode 91 of MyMaine Birth, I can’t believe we’re almost at 100 episodes!  Thank you so much to all of you who have supported me through this really incredible journey of collecting and publishing Birth Stories from across Maine and to all of you who have offered to share your own birth story on the podcast, it literally wouldn’t be possible without you... so Thank You!   

For those of you who might not know, all of my guests on the podcast also receive a gift certificate for a family photo session with me, it is good for a family adventure photo session on the session day of your choice - I host session days for my podcast guests at iconic locations across Maine in the spring, summer and fall.  This gift certificate covers the session fee completely and includes 5 of your favorite digital images from the session.  I still have some openings for this fall, if you have been a guest on the podcast and haven’t chosen your date yet or if you have any interest in sharing your birth story, there’s still time to get in and claim your incredible fall photo session. 

If you’re interested in sharing your birth story on the podcast, fill out the form on the podcast page over on my website  https://www.mymainebirth.com/mymainebirth

Have you ever faced the whirlwind of emotions that come with pregnancy during a pandemic? In this episode Faith share's her intimate journey through prenatal care at Coastal Women's Healthcare in Scarborough. From the solitude of attending appointments alone to the tough decision to decline the COVID vaccine despite medical advice, this episode is a heartfelt reflection on the empowerment that comes with making informed choices for the wellbeing of yourself and your baby.

Faith's story is one of meticulous planning and proactive care, despite the hurdles posed by COVID-19. She opens up about her preconception efforts, detailed cycle tracking, and the pressures surrounding the COVID vaccine. Her experiences offer valuable lessons and a sense of camaraderie for expectant mothers and those on the journey to parenthood. Faith's narrative is a testament to the resilience and strength of mothers navigating pregnancy during uncertain times.

She recounts the physical and emotional rollercoaster of being induced at nearly 42 weeks.  From the initial hesitation to the relief of a smooth delivery, her story captures the highs and lows of childbirth and the postpartum journey. Her husband Patrick's unwavering support, from nutritious meals to nighttime feedings, played a critical role in easing postpartum challenges, especially with anxiety. She offer's heartfelt advice to new and expecting parents on trusting their instincts and finding joy in the unique path of parenthood.

You can connect with Faith on instagram to follow along and learn about kid friendly adventures in Central Maine   https://www.instagram.com/meblueberriesforlucy/

MyMaine Birth is a space where we share the real life stories of families and their unique birth experiences in the beautiful state of Maine.  From our state's biggest hospitals to Birth Center Births, and home births, every birth story deserves to be heard and celebrated.  Whether you're a soon to be mom, a seasoned mother, or simply interested in the world of birth, these episodes are for you. 

If you're interested in Doula Support or Birth Photography for your upcoming Birth, head over to my website to inquire about your due date.
https://www.mymainebirth.com

You can also connect with me on Instagram by clicking HERE - https://www.instagram.com

Faith:

For my prenatal care. I chose to go with Coastal Women's Healthcare in Scarborough. A lot of my co-workers at the time had done all of their prenatal care through them and I had been getting a lot of really great recommendations and I actually really enjoyed Coastal Women's. I really felt comfortable and safe with the care that I was receiving and just confident in the people who were taking care of me and I felt like they were always really available too with after hours questions and things like that. So I really liked that.

Faith:

That being said, we were just coming out of COVID, so it looked a little bit different than it probably does today.

Faith:

So mostly all of my appointments I was going to by myself, which that was really devastating for me because it was a brand new thing for me and I didn't know what was going to happen.

Faith:

And it can be really nerve wracking going to your appointments and just especially when you're early pregnant and you just don't know what to expect or what's going to your appointments, and just especially when you're early pregnant and you just don't know what to expect or what's going to happen, you have all of these worries because you're a first time mom.

Faith:

So that was really hard and they definitely were really pushing the COVID vaccine at the time for pregnant women and I just was not comfortable with it. I was like even afraid to eat certain foods while pregnant, so I was definitely really worried about anything going into my body at the time. So that was really hard, but it was kind of like the first, I guess, experience that I had as a mom, like really feeling empowered to make a choice for my body and like my baby. So, though it was really hard and I felt really torn at the time because of course, I wanted to follow the advice of my doctors, like I kind of just knew in my heart that, you know, I didn't feel safe doing it at that time and so I did like continuously decline and had these tough conversations, but I definitely feel like it made me stronger and feel like more empowered to like kind of take control over like my own choices for the pregnancy.

Angela:

I'm Angela and you're listening to my Maine Birth a space where we share the real life stories of families and their unique birth experiences in the beautiful state of Maine. From our state's biggest hospitals to birth center births and home births, every birth story deserves to be heard and celebrated. Whether you're a soon-to-be mom, a seasoned mother or simply interested in the world of birth, these episodes are for you. Welcome to episode 91 of the podcast. I cannot believe we're already almost at 100 episodes. Thank you so much to all of you who have supported me through this really incredible journey of collecting and publishing birth stories from across Maine, and to all of you who've offered to share your own birth story on the podcast. It literally would not be possible without you. So shout out to all of my podcast guests and, for those of you who might not know, all of my guests on the podcast also receive a gift certificate for a family photo session with me. It's good for a family adventure photo session on the session day of your choice. I host session days for my podcast guests at iconic locations across Maine in the spring, summer and fall. The gift certificate covers the session fee completely and includes five of your favorite digital images from the session. I still have some openings for this fall, so if you've been a guest on the podcast and haven't chosen your date yet, shoot me a message. And if you have any interest in sharing your birth story, there's still time to get in and claim your incredible fall photo session. If you're interested in sharing your birth story on the podcast, fill out the form over on the podcast page on my website, mymainbirthcom, or shoot me a message on Instagram at mymainbirth All right now.

Angela:

Today's birth story guest is Faith, and she's here to share all about her main birth story with care from Coastal Women's Health in Scarborough. Hi, faith, welcome to my Main Birth. Hi, angela, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today.

Faith:

Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm really excited. Your podcast is definitely something that I would have really appreciated when I was pregnant and just like leading up to being pregnant, I was so interested in hearing everyone's story, so I definitely appreciate the work you're doing.

Angela:

Oh, thank you so much. So to get started, will you share a little bit about you and your?

Faith:

family, yeah, of course. So my husband and I we live in Mechanic Falls, maine, so southern central Maine area, right outside from Poland, and I'm a stay at home mom and I also run a little Instagram. I call it. I call it an Instagram blog, so I share things like adventures that you can do with your littles, like in the southern and central Maine areas, that are really budget friendly and easy, because it's definitely something that I want to know about, like I want to know all the little places that you can bring kiddos that are stroller friendly and easy to bring toddlers. So I really enjoy doing that, and my husband is a scientist at IDEX in Westbrook. We got married in 2019. And then we were actually planning to try for a baby following our wedding and then COVID happened in 2020. So we kind of held off for a little bit and then we started trying in 2021. But yeah, that's a little bit about me and we have a two-year-old daughter. Her name is Lucy, which I'll be sharing about her birth today.

Angela:

Awesome, oh my gosh, and I love Instagram pages that share like adventures for kids to go on. What's your, what's your Instagram page?

Faith:

Yeah, so it's M E blueberries for Lucy and it's inspired by the blueberries for Sal book. I don't know if you've heard of that children's book, but it's one of my favorites, so that's where the name is from.

Angela:

Yeah, oh my gosh, we love that book too. We have that book in our little homeschool library.

Faith:

Oh, so sweet.

Angela:

Yeah, oh, my gosh Cool, so I will have that linked in the show notes for anyone that wants to check it out. But yeah, so now share a little bit about when you found out you were pregnant and sort of your thoughts in choosing your care.

Faith:

Yeah, so something about me is I am a really big planner.

Faith:

I like to plan like everything out down to the T, and I've always sort of been like that. So when my husband and I started having conversations about getting pregnant, I actually went to my OB and I ended up doing like a preconception appointment, which I didn't actually know you could do until I talked to my primary care physician about it. So that's something I always like to share with moms who are thinking about getting pregnant, because it really helped me kind of like prepare and like feel more secure and like, okay, I'm healthy, you know, my blood pressure is good, everything is what everything's doing, what it should be, that we know of, and so it kind of took a little bit of the stress off, like the not knowing how it's going to go. So I always try to recommend that moms do that if they get the opportunity or if they feel comfortable doing that, and they were just able to give me a lot of good information about like prenatal vitamins and just random questions that you just don't always know, like Google doesn't always give you the best, most consistent results on, so I found that really helpful. Consistent results on, so found that really helpful.

Faith:

My husband and I were really fortunate and we got pregnant the second month of trying. I was definitely testing a lot for ovulation and then also for pregnancy and cycle tracking, and I was doing the whole thing. I initially went into it saying like, oh, you know, we're just gonna just have fun with it and just see what happens. And then, like after the first month, I was like, oh, I really want to speed this process up. So I ended up doing a lot of cycle tracking and so I actually tested positive very early. I didn't feel any different at the time because it was so early and so I didn't have any of those like classic symptoms, like morning sickness. That kind of led me to finding out I was pregnant. I got a very, very faint line. I remember it was Veterans Day because I wasn't working that day, so I just remember that and it was a nice little memory to have for that day. But yeah, so that's how I found out that I was pregnant.

Faith:

And then for my prenatal care I chose to go with Coastal Women's Healthcare in Scarborough. A lot of my co-workers at the time had done all of their prenatal care through them and I had been getting a lot of really great recommendations and I actually really enjoyed Coastal Women's. I really felt comfortable and safe with the care that I was receiving and just confident in the people who were taking care of me and I felt like they were always really available to with like after hours questions and things like that. So I really liked that. That being said, we were just coming out of COVID so it looked a little bit different than it probably does today.

Faith:

So mostly all my appointments I was going to by myself, which that was really devastating for me because it was a brand new thing for me and I didn't know what was going to happen. And it can be really nerve wracking going to your appointments and just especially when you're early pregnant and you just don't know what to expect or what's going to happen, you have all of these worries because you're a first time mom. So that was really hard and they definitely were really pushing the COVID vaccine at the time for pregnant women and I just was not comfortable with it. I was like even afraid to eat certain foods while pregnant. So I was definitely really worried about anything going into my body at the time.

Faith:

So that was really hard. But it was kind of like the first, I guess, experience that I had as a mom, like really feeling empowered to make a choice for my body and like my baby. So, though it was really hard and I felt really torn at the time because of course I wanted to follow the advice of my doctors, like I kind of just knew in my heart that, you know, I didn't feel safe doing it at that time and so I did like continuously decline and had these tough conversations. But I definitely feel like it made me stronger and feel like more empowered to like kind of take control, control over like my own choices for the pregnancy. So that was kind of hard and it definitely adds a different dynamic that we were so fresh coming out of COVID and just the rules were changing a lot and everything was ever changing and different information.

Angela:

So that was you having to have those conversations alone, like you really didn't even have your partner there to have that with you, right?

Faith:

Yeah, absolutely yeah, and it was definitely really hard because I was kind of having to relay the information that the doctor was giving me to my husband so that we could come together and make a choice for, like what we felt was best. And I think it definitely would have been easier to navigate those conversations, those tough conversations with the health care providers, had I had my husband by my side at the time. So that was definitely an interesting thing to navigate and, like I said, everything was just still so new, even just like them. Studying COVID in general was like so new for like especially pregnant people Like.

Faith:

So that was a little nerve wracking and I actually did end up getting COVID when I was about 14 weeks pregnant and I think the worst of it was mostly just like fever. So that was a little hard and a little scary and at the time they were recommending a infusion which was not studied very much. So I was also not comfortable with that. So that became another kind of like obstacle, but I kept kind of like pushing through and trying to, like you know, feel empowered to make my own choices and really advocate for not only myself but the baby that was growing inside of me, so definitely a lot of like tough conversations that I wasn't really expecting to initially have.

Angela:

Yeah, wow, so, but you ended up just kind of healing, naturally, probably just eating healthy foods and resting.

Faith:

Yes, absolutely yeah, lots of coconut water and hydrating and and I was totally fine, like and honestly I think, like what even I think my OBGYN had said like once Lucy was older, like she would be getting those antibodies from when I had COVID when I was pregnant. So I try to kind of look at it that way. I'm like, well, there's a little positive in having COVID while pregnant, but definitely really scary, especially since it just wasn't. There wasn't a lot of information about it at the time.

Angela:

So how was the rest of your pregnancy sort of after that, as the weeks went on?

Faith:

Yeah. So I was extremely fortunate I was not sick like, didn't have any morning sickness or anything like that. I did have like some sciatica which for anyone that has had sciatic nerve pain it can really truly be debilitating Like I. That was like the worst symptom I think I had and it wasn't persistent but it would come and go and when it was there it was definitely a lot. But but she, my daughter, was great to me and during my pregnancy and I wasn't too sick or anything like that and I honestly felt really good, especially even at the end, which I was not expecting to feel that way because I know that's not everyone's experience, but I was really. I feel like I had that pregnancy glow oh, that's amazing.

Angela:

Now will you share a little bit about the final weeks and days leading up to your labor and about your birth?

Faith:

yeah, so leading up to my birth, my ob-gyn was that kind of starting to make some, you know, comments about induction here and there and like the, I would say, like the weeks leading up to my due date, I think I was going like weekly for appointments.

Faith:

And like the, I would say like the weeks leading up to my due date I think I was going like weekly for appointments and at the time I had only heard like horror stories about inductions. And if you look it up online like, I feel like there's not a lot of people that share positive um induction stories, because I mean it's only natural to like share the bad. If you know you have a traumatic story, of course you want to make other people aware of that too.

Faith:

But that's why I'm like so passionate about sharing my stories, because I did have such a great experience but initially I really did not want to be induced because I was really feeling like my body, like I really trusted my body and up to this point my pregnancy it had done everything that it was needing to do, like I was having no problems. I think even the due date ultrasound they didn't ultrasound Like I think it was maybe a week after my due date and they said that my baby was doing great, she was like super comfy, and so that made me feel really validated in how I was feeling, because I was feeling really good and you know, I didn't really feel concerned that I was over my due date. Over my due date. But the doctors were definitely really persuasive and like okay, we're worried about the deterioration of the placenta and as a new mom, and like no, I didn't know any of this information or anything.

Faith:

I didn't really feel like I had any other options, which is something I think like. Had I been a little bit more educated in like birth and like pregnancy at the time, I think that I would have maybe made a different choice. But I did decide to go ahead with the induction because that's what all my doctors were, you know, telling me was what the right thing to do was, and I don't have any regrets about it either. I just like think back on it and I'm like I don't know if I would do that necessarily if I had all the information. But everyone's experience is different. Everyone's body is so different, so you just never know what the right choice is going to be.

Faith:

So they went ahead and scheduled my induction. It was for July 31st, so it was a Sunday and it was for 8am. And I will say this about induction going in for an induction really makes you feel prepared, like I felt so prepared. I got a good night's sleep. The night before I took a bubble bath. You know, I was like doing my mantras. I was being able to like pack up everything that I thought I might need, like there was no like chaotic, rush out the door feeling. So I really enjoyed that aspect of it and I just felt like mentally prepared because I wasn't just kind of like thrown into it. I knew what was coming the days leading up, so I kind of felt like I could prepare myself mentally and physically.

Faith:

And another thing that was great was that I didn't really go into my birth having a solid plan. Really, my only plan was just like do everything I can to have a healthy delivery, and so I was always kind of for having the epidural, so that was always something that I wanted to do in my birth plan. I just wanted to make myself as comfortable as I could, and so I actually got to meet with the anesthesia team, which was really good, because they kind of told me all my options and like I feel like that's just not something that you always get to do if you're like coming in, you know, in active labor. So I felt really fortunate that I kind of had like a slower start and kind of got to like ease into things, which I think was really helpful for me personally. I definitely needed that kind of like reassurance of like okay, what's going to happen and who's going to be there and meeting with the nurses and all that, so that was definitely helpful helpful.

Angela:

Yeah, they're walking you through like what's going to happen every step of the way and you're still like coherent enough, like when it started to absorb it all.

Faith:

So how far along were you when you went in for the induction I was just shy of 42 weeks so I wasn't like a lot of people are like shocked when I tell them that but I didn't feel like I wasn't like losing a lot of sleep.

Faith:

I wasn't like feeling really like heavy and bloated, like I really felt good. So that's I think that's another reason why I was like so apprehensive about being induced was just cause I didn't feel like done with it, like an over it Um, which I always heard like about of you know, when you're in those last few weeks it can be really tough, and it was in July so it was pretty hot anyway. But I was enjoying my time, like laying in the AC on my maternity leave, like waiting for Lucy to arrive oh yeah, that's amazing.

Angela:

So how did sort of the morning progress as things kind of got going yeah?

Faith:

so I can like vividly remember the drive to the hospital, like I remember what I ate for breakfast that morning. I just remember everything like so clear in my brain because I just had so many emotions, because I was like feeling torn about, like am I making the right choice? Like is my baby gonna be safe for the induction? Like is everything gonna be okay? And then, on the other hand, all those normal like I think every mom has those like just birth fears, like, um, just like, am I gonna be okay? Like am I going to be okay? Like how am I going to handle the pain?

Faith:

Um, and I did take like a birthing class, so I had some breathing exercises, um, but other than that I was like not really sure, just like how I was going to feel. I'm like, am I going to have a panic attack during my birth? Like what's going to happen? Um, but so I got there at 8 am, um, and they admitted me, and then I remember I got my very first IV and I was terrified to get an IV because I had never done that before and unfortunately the nurse did not insert it correctly the first time and it was a little um traumatic, like it was not the best experience ever. But you know, we made it through and my husband like joked he's like maybe that'll be the worst part is over now, but um no, it was really okay.

Faith:

I was proud that I did not have a panic attack while getting my IV in, but I was still nervous and I kind of had to wait around because obviously when you come in for an induction you're not like at the top of the priority list initially because there's other people that are in active labor having an emergency. So we kind of had to wait. I think it was around noon time when we got to see a doctor and then they gave me a bunch of different options for my induction which when I had talked to my OBGYN in office, she kind of made it seem like the Foley balloon was going to be really the only option and that was the option I was most terrified of and, like most, did not want. So I told them that and expressed that to them, that I was really nervous about that and I'd been kind of doing some research on it and it really scared me. So they were really great about giving me a couple different options and ultimately we decided on.

Faith:

I wrote down the actual name of this and I don't know if I'm saying it correctly, but it's misoprosol and it's a basically a small pill that they insert into your cervix which causes it to soften. And when I went in at that time I was not even a fingertip dilated, so nothing had started to progress at all. So they kind of warned us like it can take a while, like be prepared for possibly like a longer, you know a couple of days maybe. Um, so I was like, okay, and what they do is they put the pill in your in your cervix for about four hours, I think, and then after the four hours they'll check you and see if anything has progressed. Um, luckily, after the four hours I ended up being four centimeters dilated. So it really did definitely kickstart my birth and I was definitely feeling it at this point, like at first I felt like a cramp or two here and there and, you know, kind of felt similar to menstrual cramps. So I kind of knew something was happening, but I definitely was not expecting to be four centimeters dilated. I kind of knew something was happening, but I definitely was not expecting to be four centimeters dilated. So that was like really reassuring to me that I was like, okay, maybe we won't be here that long, maybe, like, this will be a quick process. And so, instead of doing typically, I guess they what their plan was was to do another pill or part of the pill in my cervix for another four hours. But since I had been four centimeters dilated, they started me on Pitocin.

Faith:

And for anyone that doesn't know what Pitocin is, it's a synthetic version of a hormone called oxytocin and it stimulates the muscles in the uterus which causes the contractions. Definitely something I would have wanted to know when I was pregnant. So I kind of was a little nervous about the Pitocin, because all I had heard prior to this was like Pitocin can make things really really intense really fast. And I was already, like I said, kind of feeling those contractions and it was starting to get a little intense. And so they had me on the Pitocin for 30 minutes and then they ended up taking me off because I wasn't really getting a break from the contractions. It was kind of just going really quickly. So my nurse came in and took me off the Pitocin and that's when I requested the't be able to get up to you right away. So that's kind of where I was at and I was grateful that I did, because there was some a lot of stuff going on in the hospital that day so they weren't able to make it up for a little while.

Faith:

And this is the part of the story that I always get like apprehensive to tell expectant mothers, because the epidural can fail in so many different ways and unfortunately for me that happened. So the actual like them putting the epidural in was completely fine. I remember the most uncomfortable part for me was that they were making me like crouch down and I was like having contractions and like it was really hurting my neck a lot. And I just remember that was like the most irritating thing at the time, like nevermind the needle in my back, I was just worried about my neck. So they had put the epidural and then I could kind of feel like my feet tingling and then like maybe like one side of my body started to feel a little numbed and they have left because you know that was like usual for what they expect to happen, like you know, the feet tingling, okay, it's gonna work, and then it just kind of didn't work at all. So I was like in a lot of pain and I remember gripping on to the side of the hospital bed and like the bar was like moving and it was definitely not one of those types of beds like I was gripping it so hard. It was like shaking, and so I always kind of like think back to that moment because, though I did have a positive birth story, I definitely was in a lot of pain at the time and I was like remember thinking like I don't know how I'm gonna push through with the pain, like I don't know how I'm gonna push out a baby if they can't get my epidural fixed. So any moms out there that have delivered without the epidural, you guys are like superheroes, because it can be really intense and they weren't able to come back up to fix it for quite a while and the nurse did have to still insert the catheter, even though the epidural wasn't working fully or anything, and that was like probably the most painful part of my labor. I will never forget the pain and like just trying to breathe through the contractions, and I will say breathing was like the best way to cope with the contractions. It definitely really did help in the moment and I remember feeling relieved that I did take the birthing class because that was the only thing getting me through when my epidural wasn't working. But it can be really effective and it definitely really helped. But yes, the catheter being inserted was a lot um on top of all the contract, all the contractions. So that is part of my birth. That was not so positive but it gets better.

Faith:

Because then I met my the doctor that was on call from my OBGYN office, um, and it was Dr Sinkin, and he is incredible. If anyone goes to Coastal Women's, he is amazing. I was like really nervous because I had never met him before. He was the on-call that day but he was amazing. He came to my bedside and was kind of just like rubbing my back and was like I'm so sorry that you're in so much pain, like I'm going to go see if I can get them to come up to you, you know, as soon as possible and it was just really personable care, which I really appreciated, especially in that moment. Like bedside manner can make the biggest difference when you're going through something like that.

Faith:

So I really like really appreciated that and also I wanted to add that they hadn't been checking me since the epidural wasn't working because I was in so much pain and that was really being checked for dilation caused a lot of discomfort for me. So I was okay with them not doing that until they were able to fix it. And so after Dr Sinkin came to me it wasn't long after that they were able to come back up to fix the epidural and they tried to fix it for a little bit and then they decided to just take the whole thing out and start again. So that was kind of like I was relieved that they were doing that, but at the same time I was, like you know, having these really intense contractions and I was just like really worried. I'm like is it even going to work, like when they do try to do it?

Angela:

over again.

Faith:

And so it was a little like scary and nerve wracking at the time. But I remember, once they put the epidural in, I could like feel like my legs immediately starting to numb in. I could like feel like my legs immediately starting to numb and it was like the best feeling ever. I felt so relieved, I felt like I could breathe again and I was like okay, I think I can, I think I can do this now. And then they checked me in. To my surprise, I was actually at 10 centimeters. So I always wonder, like how long was I actually for at 10 centimeters for? Because I was definitely feeling like a lot of pressure down there, but like they were like you know, that's normal um type thing.

Angela:

So I was getting your epidural in for the second time.

Faith:

We're like babies yeah, like how long would she have stayed in there? Um, so I guess it was good timing, um. And then it was really nice because after having like all of those hours of the painful contractions, I was finally feeling a little bit of relief and I could kind of breathe regular again and I was like kind of ready to push and able to start mentally preparing for that phase of my birth. And they actually were like it was great because they said you know, we're going to go get the doctor, we're going to go get everything ready for when you push. So they, we kind of had like 15, 20 minutes of just like me and my husband, just like quiet and calm, and so that was really helpful because it kind of gave me a little time to rest, not too long that baby's going to come before then but just like enough time, just the perfect amount of time to reset, which is what I definitely needed in the moment. And then I, a couple different people came in. So there was a CNA who was in college at the time and she was just the sweetest. She was holding up one of my legs and you know, I think she said that she was in college at the time. So she was really excited to learn and like be part of the birth and it felt good to have someone there that was just like so excited and enthusiastic about the whole thing and so that was awesome. And then my husband was holding my other leg and it was just a really calm like environment, like not what I was expecting but was like relieved that it was that way. My doctor was just like talking in a very calm voice, like kind of just like it was just very chill, like just another, you know, just another day, like nothing like crazy. No one was like running around or anything and I don't know why. I thought that was what my birth was going to look like at the hospital, but I did have that in my brain, like everyone's going to be rushing around, and it just wasn't like that at all. It was very nice. Like it was just kind of like you know, when you feel like the pressure, let us know and then I'll count and we can start to push. And thankfully, like my epidural was working so good at this point that I actually couldn't feel like any pressure. So I was looking to the monitor and kind of like watching the contraction. I was like, okay, I'm having a contraction, and like I was like laughing while I was pushing because I was just like it was just like so different than I had expected, because I was like I feel so comfortable right now, I feel like I have all the energy to push. So I just had like a really, really good experience.

Faith:

So something that I always like to share about Lucy's birth was it was July 31. And I started pushing at 1130pm and so I wasn't sure if she was going to be a July or an August baby, and so I pushed for 30 minutes and as soon as she came out, the first thing I did was look to the CNA that was holding one of my legs and I was like, what time is it? And I remember she told me it was 12.03. So she just made it into August.

Faith:

So it was just that was just a really special moment, just kind of like the whole time I was pushing I'm like is she going to be born in July or is it going to be August? And I was pushing I'm like is she going to be born in July or is it going to be August? And I was happy that it was. She was probably like the first baby born at Maine Med in August, so so that's kind of cool. But, um, once I gave birth I started to like really panic about cause. For some reason I always had, you know, hearing everyone's stories, you hear so many different things about right after giving birth, like hemorrhaging, and that was a really really big fear of mine.

Faith:

I had no reason, like no risk or anything associated with that, but it was just a fear that I had. So I immediately was like asking the doctor, like am I bleeding too much? Like am I okay? And he was just really reassuring and just you know, everything looks healthy, like you're safe, like really talking me through and like keeping me calm, um, which I really appreciated. And um, I honestly I remember I remember pushing out the placenta but like it was like just such a blur in the moment, like I thought it was going to be this big event after giving birth that I was going to have to like then birth out the placenta, and it kind of just felt like very just like normal, natural, like there was like okay, just like a couple more pushes and then it was out, um, so that wasn't like as big of a deal as I thought that it was going to be like.

Faith:

So that was kind of a relief too, but, yeah, definitely like a really good, positive, and so I think, all in all, the whole birth experience was like 12 hours, like almost exactly, which was really good for me because I was like thinking I was going to be that person for like three days like an active liver, like pushing, and I was just so concerned about that. So I was really grateful that it was kind of like kind of a quicker process, but not too quick, where it was like traumatizing yeah, it can be.

Angela:

Yeah, too fast can be like a lot too. But yeah, 12 hours is pretty, pretty good. It's not too long, not too short yeah, yeah nice. So how was your postpartum experience then, after that?

Faith:

yeah, um, I was expecting again. I don't know why I had all these things in my head. I feel like I had so many just like preconceptions about like what birth was gonna look like and what you know postpartum was gonna look like, and I feel like I always had this thought in my head like I'm gonna be bleeding for like a month straight after I have my baby and like it's gonna be this heavy period, like like, and I my bleeding.

Faith:

It was definitely heavy, obviously at first, and then I want to say like we were in the hospital for about three days and it kind of started to taper off a couple of days after we were home and then it was kind of just like late spotting. I would still wear like pads and stuff just in case, but it was definitely much less than I was expecting, which was a pleasant surprise, and I didn't really have any any like health problems afterwards, like I always heard. If you can tell I'm kind of like a hypochondriac, like I kind of like learn about all these things that can happen and like scare myself into thinking that I'm going to get them. So I thought a lot about like post eclampsia and so I was like very like vigilant about like making sure that really nutritious meals to kind of like replenish all of my nutrients and he really he really took great care of both me and Lucy postpartum.

Faith:

Like was very supportive of like just like my breastfeeding and like milk production. He would like pinterest little recipes for like foods and snacks that can help you lactate, and so that was like really sweet and I love sharing that with people because I just think it shows like how invested like he was in the whole process too. Even though he might have not been going through the physical aspects of it, he really was like truly a hundred percent in it with me, which felt really good to have that support and same with like. He was really there for me a lot in the evenings. Like he made it a point to really like you know, if he was gonna, if she was hungry, he would like feed her a bottle and I would be pumping so I could, you know, pump and then clean up the bottles and go back to bed and he would take care of Lucy, and so he was a really, really big part of why I think I had such a great postpartum experience. I don't know what that would have looked like if things were different, but he was just such a great support for me and for Lucy and I think it really helped a lot with, like mentally, like cause it.

Faith:

It's a really stressful time when you're newly postpartum, like your whole life changes so quickly, um, and you know it's it's. You just don't know how you're gonna feel and you don't know how your body is gonna deal with those emotions. And I definitely had some moments of just like crying and I didn't really know what was wrong. I just was like you know, am I a bad mom? Like am I doing things right? Like is she going to be okay, which I think is pretty normal. And then I definitely had I have anxiety, like generalized anxiety, and so I was really curious how that would affect me postpartum and it definitely did. It kind of just fostered my anxiety, fostered in different ways than before I had a baby. Like I remember we would sleep with like a little nightlight on because I wanted to be able to see Lucy's like the rise and fall of her chest while I was going to sleep, so that I could make sure she was okay, and I kind of thought that was like a normal thing, like I was like no, everyone, everyone obviously needs to watch their infants chest rise and fall like so they can fall asleep, and then like, after I was talking to like some other moms, they're like maybe you should see a therapist and I'm like, no, no, but no, I ended up, it ended up being normal for me, and I think it was just kind of normal for me because I like live with anxiety anyway. So that kind of is my normal too, your life in a negative way, or it's prohibiting you from being able to, you know, do the things that you love and feel good.

Faith:

Then I definitely would suggest that any mom to like reach out to your OBGYN and they can help you find resources, because I know it is a difficult time and everyone's experience is so different. But it was also like I I told people like I think that was like one of the happiest times of my life to like just like the newborn phase and like we just felt so ready to be parents and we were really invested in the whole thing and you know it was just so much fun like learning together as new parents and figuring things out together and you know, not really knowing what time of day it is at any given moment, because you're just up like all the time and it's just such a. It's such a great experience to go through like with your partner, and I'm really grateful for that.

Angela:

Yeah, oh my gosh, that's so sweet, sweet. I love how involved your partner was with with you in postpartum.

Faith:

like that really, like you said, just can make it like all the difference yes, it totally can, and I like was always like makes me even more just like amazed at like single moms that do this on their own, um, because it is a lot like, it's a lot mentally, physically. So I was definitely always really grateful to have, um, my husband, patrick, with me by my side and just, yeah, like I said, it was just such a good experience to go through together as a couple.

Angela:

Yeah, grown into a family of three? Yeah, oh, amazing. Well, as a final question, if you were to give advice to new parents, or parents are expecting, what would be the biggest thing that you would want to share? What would be?

Faith:

the biggest thing that you would want to share. I would say, probably just do what you feel like is best for your child, because I think that when you're a new parent, you get a lot of different opinions from a lot of different people from a lot of generations, and it can be really overwhelming to navigate those, you know suggestions and everything like all while you're still trying to learn yourself. So I would just say, like, take as much time while you're pregnant and you have, like extra time available to to like really think about, like who do you want to be as a parent and like what are what's most important to you, um, as a, as a parent, and what's most important to you for your child? Like you know, there's so many other things, like baby led, weaning and, you know, co-sleeping and all this other stuff. Like, personally me, I have such high anxiety I could never dream of co-sleeping with my child. She was always, you know all the safe sleep, everything like that.

Faith:

So you know, but I don't judge parents, who you know make. I think everyone makes their own choices, so long as their child is safe and loved and taken care of. I think you know you just have to do what's best for you and what works for your family, and I think that a lot of people can feel really like judged by choices that they make for their child. But like, at the end of the day, like I said, as long as your child is well cared for and loved and everything else, I think that you know you just have to do what you feel is best as a parent, and it can be really hard to navigate all of that, but you just kind of have to follow your heart and lean on your partner too, for you know guidance, because you can't do it all alone. It's really hard.

Angela:

Yeah, yeah, totally. Oh, my gosh, I love all of that. It is hard with so much information out there, like you said, with all different generations, and you're like newly postpartum, and everyone's like, oh, you should do it this way and that way. So you're like yeah.

Faith:

Well, it's like, yeah, and there's just so many decisions to make, like breastfeeding formula, and then it's like, if you do choose formula, like which one's the best one, like which one's safe, like, and there's just so many decisions. So, and I think my husband would agree, like that would be his probably biggest advice for new parents is just like you know, you definitely listen and hear other people out for like their advice advice, because I think it is valuable to hear different perspectives. But also, you know you don't have to like agree with everything that you hear. Just take it all into consideration and try to make the best educated choice that you can. There's definitely not a handbook for parenting, but you find your own ways of doing things that work for you and your family.

Angela:

Yeah, just take it all lightly and tune into that intuition at the end of the day, yes, absolutely. Well, thank you so much, Faith, for taking the time to chat with me today and share your story with us. I truly appreciate it, and it was such a pleasure talking with you.

Faith:

Oh, thank you so much, Angela. I absolutely love listening to your podcast, so you know, keep doing what you're doing, because I think it's definitely helpful for new moms and expecting mothers. New moms and expecting mothers.

Angela:

And that's the end of another episode of the my Main Birth podcast. Thank you for joining me and listening. If you're looking to document your birth story or if you're interested in doula support for your upcoming birth, head over to my website, mymainbirthcom and check out my packages. I'm a certified professional birth photographer and an experienced doula, and I offer in-person services to families throughout the state of Maine, as well as virtual birth coaching worldwide. I want to invite you to grab my top free resource for newly pregnant moms. It's called 37 questions to ask your care provider whether you've already established care or if you're in the process of interviewing new providers. This is for you. Not only are you going to get the questions to ask, but I also share how to assess their answers and the major red flags that you should be looking for. So go grab that. It's at mymainbirthcom slash download. Thank you again for tuning in and I look forward to bringing you more amazing birth stories. Don't forget to subscribe and leave me a review, and I'll see you back here again next week.